Left 4 Dead Official Blog

This week we updated both the L4D2 Beta and L4D2. As we get closer to the Linux release, we will continue to merge in some outstanding bug fixes and issues we have been working on.

Thanks to everyone playing the Beta and helping us test. The update today consists of changes that were tested in the Beta. Check here for the complete change list for the Beta and the patch notes for today s L4D2 update are available here.

We have seen some discussions about some of the sample Mutations with shipped with the Beta. Some of these like Holdout are fully formed game modes. Others are tests or example code for other people to play around with.

A good example is with the L4D1 Mutation. It is a sample Mutation to show how easy it is to change the game. Don t like some of the choices? Change them. The code below is the script file for that mode 52 lines of script. You can see how simple, yet powerful the new scripting mode is. For more information visit the L4D2 EMS Wiki.

We have had plenty of people asking about the L4D2 Beta showing up in their steam catalog. So in case you missed it or were confused, here is some more info.

Currently, changes to L4D2 will first appear in the Beta before they appear in the main game. The Beta will change often. This mean this build is very active so you might want to avoid it if you have bandwidth caps. Today we released another update for it. You can read the release notes for the update here.

Thanks to the efficiencies we were able to achieve with Linux, we skipped Valve time and are delivering the L4D2 Beta Linux build today as planned. The Beta build not only allows Linux owners to play the game natively, it is also the testing ground for our new Extended Mutation System.

If you currently own Left 4 Dead 2, You should see Left 4 Dead 2 Beta in your library. If it doesn t show up, restart Steam. This is a complete build of Left 4 Dead 2, so the build is as large as the current game.

The L4D2 Beta is mutating. Not content to just be the testing ground for the new Extended Mutation System, we will be adding Linux to the Beta. And not content with the number of testers in the Beta, we will also be opening up the Beta to all L4D2 owners.

We have released the first of the Resident Evil 6 replacement creatures into the L4D2 workshop. You can have Napad replace the current Tank skin by simply going to its Workshop page and clicking subscribe. Why subscribe instead of download? Because if we make an update to the skin, everyone instantly gets the new updated version. By subscribing, you will always have the latest version.

This trailer shows the RE6 mode The Mercenaries: No Mercy, which pits Coach, Ellis, Nick and Rochelle against Resident Evil enemies, plus brings in the Witch and Mini-Tank from L4D2. This mode and the L4D2 characters and monsters are included for free in the PC version of Resident Evil 6.

Have you added any Workshop items to your game? If not, time to do it. The creative modders of L4D2 continue to add new content every day. The Cat mod pictured above changes all the common infected into cats. Do you shoot them or do you hug them? A little tip, hugging will not end well and shooting them is really, really hard. To download and keep your cats and other mods up to date, just click the subscribe button on the item page. Next time you start the game you will see the game automatically downloading the custom content.